Saturday, January 24, 2009

I remember the Orpheum Theater as the American Theater, the place where heavy metal acts used to play downtown. Those days are apparently long gone, as much of downtown strives for a more upscale clientele. The Roberts Brothers fully dominate the block; adding their stamp to one portion of downtown.It's funny, I remember waiting in line outside the Orpheum and looking up at the forlorn hulk of the Statler Hotel, with pigeons coming and going from its shattered upper windows.

Friday, January 23, 2009

I have always had a soft spot for the Railroad Exchange Building, that hulking, terracotta covered edifice rising right in the heart of downtown. It wasn't until a couple of years ago that I learned through satellite images that the top floors of the office building portion of the structure has a large donut light well in the center. You can see it here.Originally planned to be the headquarters of St. Louis's railroads, it became the center for May Department Stores.I long for the day when the skybridge is removed and the terracotta carefully replaced from the old St. Louis Centre.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

I'm sure that Mies van der Rohe guy would be pleased by the Laclede Gas Building seemingly rising out of a park of lush trees. Too bad the trees anchor one of the deadest areas of downtown, the Gateway Mall.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

It's amazing the transformation that the Marquette Building has taken over the last few years from the first time I photographed it several years ago.The television antenna, once rather sadly the tallest point in the St. Louis skyline, has been removed from the top penthouse of the building. If you look closely at the backdrops of local news shows, the mast is still in most of them--as well as on tourist mugs.Sadly, as has become commonplace in St. Louis, one historic building "had" to be demolished to allow for the rehabbing of another. The last thing I want to see in St. Louis's downtown future is a world made up of 50% parking garages.

Monday, January 19, 2009

The Tucker Tunnel is one of those places in St. Louis that older residents might remember, but as the city progresses, fewer and fewer people remember its existence. It has been in the news more lately, as the city has had to shut down several lanes of Tucker Blvd up above the tunnel because it's starting to collapse. It used to provide access for a passenger railroad that went to Alton. Also, the Post-Dispatch used to have its paper delivered down in the tunnel; you can still see the loading dock for the newspaper in the tunnel. Also evident are the supports that have hopefully temporarily been put in place to support the road deck up above. Basically the tunnel is a cut and cover design; in a way, all of Tucker through much of downtown sits on top of one long bridge.

Chris Naffziger

Patina

Pronunciation:

\pə-ˈtē-nə, ˈpa-tə-nə\

1 a: a usually green film formed naturally on copper and bronze by long exposure or artificially (as by acids) and often valued aesthetically for its colorb: a surface appearance of something grown beautiful especially with age or use; 2: an appearance or aura that is derived from association, habit, or established character; 3: a superficial covering or exterior